


All Good Boys Go To Heaven

by Anasten27



Series: Of Windy Days at the Ocean [8]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Crying, Friendship, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 23:36:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18559417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anasten27/pseuds/Anasten27
Summary: He looked to his side and found that he was no longer laying on sand, but on water. Solid water beneath him. There was nothing but sky and sea, extending as far as the eye could see.He sat up in a panic, noticing he wasn't wet from the water below. Where was he? When did he get here? And why did that figure approaching in the distance look like...?





	All Good Boys Go To Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> More dream like fics? On my series? It's more likely than you think. (And the next one is dream fic too, so...)
> 
> Riku needed more attention and so I gave him some. Kairi is not the only one that needs comforting...

What time was it now? He didn't know, but it sure felt late. His body and mind were tired, but he couldn't close his eyes. Every time they closed all he could see was his face. The face of the one he couldn't protect in the end.

And so he laid awake on his bed, trying to find anything to tell himself to shush his troubled thoughts. 'It was his decision to go', 'he was strong', 'you had no way of knowing', 'he brought your friend back'. But another voice would chime in whispering 'you should've stopped him', 'he was weak at that moment', 'you should've seen it coming', 'was it worth it?'.

"I can't see the future... it's not my fault... It was worth it, she is safe now..." He whispered back in the dark.

He wanted to hurt himself, to make himself feel the pain he probably went through. He knew that wasn't okay. He shouldn't. He shouldn't.

He wanted to break something, let his frustration and anger out somehow, but couldn't do that in the middle of the night. And he couldn't go breaking everything either, his mother would most certainly kill him.

His mother... She was so worried about him. He knew he should talk to her about it... eventually. He had never been good at expressing his feelings, and quite reserved about that topic most of the time. Even with Kairi it was hard sometimes.

He sat up in bed and looked at his clock. He winced. That was really late. Or early, depending on how you wanted to see it. Well, no point in staying in bed when you couldn't sleep.

 

The beach was always cold at night. The sand cool against his bare feet. The moon gone, everything shrouded in shadows. He stood in front of a tree, dented in the places he had hit it with his blade.

Sweat clung to his face. Panting, he let his weapon disappear. He felt a bit bad at damaging the poor plant, but his chest felt slightly lighter thanks to its help.

He missed his best friend so much. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't he have offered to go instead? Was he okay wherever he was?

He dropped to the sandy floor and laid on his back. He closed his eyes, covering them with his arm. He took deep breaths, letting his tears fall silently down the side of his face. Why did someone with such a big loving heart and such a bright uplifting smile have to disappear that way from the worlds?

He wasn't sure how long he stayed that way. He could've sworn not much time had passed, but when he took his arm off his face and opened his eyes the sky wasn't black, but a light blue instead. Had he slept the whole night out at the beach?

He looked to his side and found that he was no longer laying on sand, but on water. Solid water beneath him. There was nothing but sky and sea, extending as far as the eye could see.

He sat up in a panic, noticing he wasn't wet from the water below. Where was he? When did he get here? And why did that figure approaching in the distance look like...?

He stood up in a rush. He started breathing faster and harder, his vision becoming blurry. This had to be a nightmare, some kind of punishment for failing in his duty as a protector. Maybe a ghost to haunt him forever because of his mistakes. But then why did this ghost look so genuinely happy to see him?

Sora stopped right in front of him, smiling. And then he heard his voice. He didn't open his mouth. He didn't speak, but he could hear his voice. It was something close to the wind whispering in his ear, a faint echo coming from everywhere around him. Almost as if his voice was talking directly into his heart and mind.

"Sorry I took so long, but I really needed to help Kairi first." He scratched his cheek with his finger sheepishly. "It was a bit hard convincing them to let me see you as well, but I finally did it!" He smiled brighter. Riku felt like crying again.

He didn't know what to say, or even think, really. He had been helping Kairi? Did that mean that the dreams she had been having with Sora were not actually dreams? Was he dreaming too? Who had been Sora trying to convince?

Sora lifted up his arms, inviting him in for a hug. Riku hesitated for a moment, but then stepped forward and embraced his best friend tightly, trying in some way to make up for all these months they had been separated.

"It's okay... It's okay..." Sora comforted him.

"Am I dreaming?" Riku asked, still not letting go of his friend.

"Kind of. You are sleeping, but this isn't really a dream." His voice echoed.

"Where are we?" He finally let go of him, looking around again.

"This place is called The Final World. I'm using it as a bridge to reach you guys, so I can only use it when you're asleep."

"A bridge? That means you're somewhere else, doesn't it?" He deduced. Sora nodded. "Where are you then? How can I get there?"

Sora shook his head. "You can't. But don't worry, I'm okay here."

"What? But where are you? Sora, everyone misses you so much. Please, let me get to you."

Sora put his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Riku, if you come looking for me, you won't be able to go back." He looked him in the eyes with an intense glint in his own.

"What do you mean?" He didn't want him to say it.

"Riku, you know I'm not missing... I'm dead."

He did cry then. He knew that he had known it all along in his heart, but he didn't want to believe it. He rubbed the palm of his hands over his eyes. His body shook and he fell to his knees. Sora kneeled down beside him, a hand on his shoulder as he waited for him to let all his tears out.

"Why did you do it?" He whispered so his voice wouldn't crack as he spoke. "Why did you give your life up like that? We could've found another way!"

"There was no other way... And the answer as to why is very simple..." Riku looked up at him with a pained expression, waiting for him to continue. "Love... I love Kairi with all my heart, so I gave my life up to give her a second chance."

Riku laughed, some tears still falling from his eyes. "When did you become so deep?"

"Hey! I had my moments!" He rubbed under his nose. "Besides, death does give you a new perspective."

Riku tried wiping some of his tears. "I guess so."

"So? How has everyone been? I've seen them a couple of times, but I haven't had much time to stick around."

Riku then told him as much as he could remember. About the times they had hung out with everyone, how everyone had just been trying to relax and have a good time for now. He told him how Roxas and Xion were planning on attending school the next year, how Terra and Aqua had been talking about finding students in the near future. He talked about how Naminé was quickly making friends with everyone, and how Axel was still throwing his old catchphrase in whatever situation he could.

They spent a long time talking about their friends until Riku couldn't think of anything else interesting to say. And so he thought of something interesting to ask.

"So... You said earlier someone didn't want you coming here?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Sora sat more comfortably on the water. "They've been letting me visit Kairi in her dreams sometimes. Dead people aren't really supposed to communicate with the living in any way, but there are some exceptions... Like me." He shrugged. "They both thought my sacrifice was very touching, so they let me come to this place and try to comfort her at night."

"Who are they?"

"Can't really tell you that, sorry. Part of the rules..." His voice echoed.

Riku hummed. "You know... Kairi hasn't really been feeling great on the mornings after she dreams of you..."

"Yeah... I've noticed..." He looked away. "I just haven't thought on how to tell her I'm not going to be able to visit for much longer. I really just want her to be happy, and she looks that way when she sleeps, but she can't do it forever either."

They stayed silent for a while. Riku wondered why his friend's voice sounded so weird and detached from him, how he could speak without opening his mouth. Maybe it had something to do with being dead and not having a body anymore.

"How's it like..." He started. "You know... Being dead?" He winced at how that sounded, but this situation had no way of sounding too good anyways.

"I can't talk about that either." He smiled apologetic. "But I'm doing great, so don't you keep worrying about me, okay?"

Riku nodded, trying to contain some tears that threatened to spill out again. He had cried enough for tonight.

"Oh! Almost forgot the second reason I came here." Sora laughed. "Aside from letting you know I was okay, I wanted to ask you for two favors."

"Of course, anything."

"I want you to live your life to the fullest." He looked him in the eyes, smiling softly. "To do and learn and enjoy everything as much as you can. But that doesn't mean I'm telling you to go around doing crazy stuff!" He shook his head. "Don't be reckless like I used to be. And please stop blaming yourself. It's not helping you and you know it wasn't your fault."

"Alright," Riku murmured.

"And I also want to ask you to take care of Kairi. Make sure she's okay. Let her be sad sometimes, but not for too long, then help her smile again. Please take care of her until she finds someone else to do that. Until she finds someone she can be truly happy with again..."

"But... What about you?" Riku frowned.

"What about me?" He tilted his head.

"If she finds someone else, what will happen in the future? You know... When you see her again."

"What? Would you prefer she waits her whole life alone until she can see me again?" He smiled sadly. "I just want her to be happy, Riku. If it can't be with me, that's okay. My heart has been at peace with the idea for a long time now."

Sora flickered for a moment, almost as if he were a flame being softly blown by the wind. He got up and offered his hand to his best friend.

"Guess it's time for me to go back to work!" He beamed.

"What? Work?" Riku took his hand and straightened up as well.

"Yup, lots of people to help. Also, you're waking up, so there's not much time left anyways."

"You'll never change, huh?" Riku smiled melancholic.

"Not a chance of that happening!" His laugh echoed. He hugged him tight in goodbye. "Take care."

Riku hugged him back, not wanting to let go. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Probably not anytime soon, but our hearts are connected. And that connection? It's unbreakable."

They let go of each other. Sora flickered again.

"Please remember my requests, they're very important."

"I promise I won't ever forget."

His smile was the last thing he saw before everything around him faded. He opened his eyes, looking at the blue sky above his head. Seagulls squawked in the distance, the sound of the waves against the shore much stronger than the birds’ singing. The sand on his back was soft and warm. His heart at peace, free of guilt and filled with a new conviction.

He had a new purpose, someone new to protect. He'd do it for him and for her. For his friends.

...

He slept all night outside...

His mother was gonna kill him when he went back...

**Author's Note:**

> I know kh3 showed Sora at Shibuya, but goodness, just let people die for onCE KINGDOM HEARTS!!
> 
> I just want people to deal with death here, please. Lots of angst and the opportunity for hurt/comfort.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I love comments so... If you wanna leave one... I wouldn't mind ;^0c


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